A young man from New Mexico finds $135,000 near a Wells Fargo ATM and called the police instead of walking away with the money, according to a recently published article. 

Young Latino Man Finds $135,000 Near Wells Fargo ATM

Jose Nunez Romaniz, the young man who found the money, was just about to buy new socks for his grandfather and needed to deposit money to pay for it online. He noticed a clear plastic bag with cash inside near the ATM when he arrived.

At first, he hesitated while trying to decide whether or not he should leave it or report it to the police. He feared it might be a setup and something could happen to him. However, since the bank was closed at the time, he felt he had no choice but to report it to the police. 

In an interview, he said: "I didn't know what to do. I was, like, dreaming. I was just in shock. I was looking at myself and just thinking, 'What should I do?'"

He also shared that he never thought about keeping the money. He was thinking, however, if it was some kind of a trick and someone could kidnap or even arrest him.

A Value He Learned from His Mother

Romaniz said: "My parents always taught me to work for my own. Stolen money would never last you any time. I had my mom's voice and her chancla in the back of my head." This just shows how his mother influenced him to value honesty and not to steal even a single penny.

Simon Drobik, the spokesman for the Albuquerque police, said: "This money could have made an incredible amount of difference in his life if he went down the other path, but he chose ... the integrity path and did the right thing."  

Later, it was discovered that the money was mistakenly left by a bank subcontractor who was meant to supply the ATM with cash, according to Officer Drobik. 

Jose's Honesty Was Recognized in the Community

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller told a crowd at a press conference: "Whether you can believe that it is divine, or it's good luck or whatever, we were just talking about how - the irony that his career is so far leaning towards criminal justice, and he happens to be looking for a job, and we happen to be hiring."

It was found that Romaniz was actually a criminology student at Central New Mexico Community College. Because of the honesty, he was kind of given an invitation to become a police officer or at least an intern.

Romaniz is hailed as a role model. Mike Geier, Albuquerque Police Chief, celebrated not just the honesty of the young man but also credited him for restoring his faith in the community. He said that it is not every day you come across a man who happens to see unattended money and return it. 

Due to his honesty, Jose was not simply recognized, he was also awarded by the Public Service of New Mexico an amount of $500, which he can use to pursue his education, or buy his grandfather socks.